Hump Day!

Happy humpday!  I can never decide if it's terrifying or fantastic that the weeks seem to go by SO quickly.  I think with Christmas break approaching, I'll say fantastic.  But I guess that also means finals are approaching... so terrifying in that sense. 

After a quick gym trip, breakfast was a whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, and banana slices.  

P.S. It's also National Pastry Day... in case you feel like celebrating something else.  Or need an excuse to eat a pastry.  

Adios amigos!

La cena del dia

The weather is horrrrible tonight!  It's that weather where it's JUST warm enough to rain but not cold enough to snow.  It was a cold, rainy walk home from night class tonight!

I take a nutrition night class.  A lot of people hate night classes, but I actually prefer them.  It's much easier to get into the topic when you're there for 2.5 hours.  In my 50 minute classes, I find myself staring at the clock the whole time.  Night class is especially easy when it's nutrition, a topic that I love!  Tonight we talked all about nutrition through the life cycle.  Seeing the recommended intakes for children was eye-opening.  It's sad how few children are actually getting the nutrients they need.  It's an area that definitely needs work.

On a lighter note, dinner tonight was a veggie/chicken stir fry with an unpictured apple (and some coffee to get me through class!)

I'm predicting there will be more gingerbread house roof eating later on... just sayin'

Night!

Free Time!

I lucked out this afternoon and my 1 o'clock class was cancelled! This gave me time to do some laundry and have a more relaxed lunch.  I value knowledge, but sometimes I value free time more :)

After my 8 am class, I hit the gym.  I grabbed an apple and hummus for a snack after the gym.

Lunch was 6-bean soup and some veggies, pita, and hummus on the side.  I ended up saving the fruit salad for later. 

Dessert was the 8th (!! DECEMBER 8th?!?) advent chocolate and some gingerbread house roof :) Very festive!

Buenos manana!

My alarm went off this morning and I swore I must have accidentally set it for 4 am judging by how dark it was.  Then I realized, nope, it was really that dark outside.  I would have loved to have rolled over and woken up with the sun, but unfortunately, I have an 8 am class.  So I pulled myself out of bed, got ready, and made some breakfast. 

Breakfast was Kashi cereal, vanilla yogurt, and a banana. (notice my desk is as cluttered as my mind right now!)

So,  I was reading in my psychology book (2010 Goldstein) last night about the physiology of taste perception.  It talked about an experiment where experimenters gave monkeys an ample supply of dairy cream.  At first, the monkey enthusiastically drinks the cream, but after a minute or so, rejects the cream.  As the monkey's hunger for the cream decreased, so did the firing of the specific neuron reacting the the odor of cream.  Cessation of the neuron's firing signaled the monkey to stop drinking the cream.  So basically, our body has mechanisms for controlling food intake.  Interesting, right? 

It got me thinking, how often do we actually take a minute to listen to our body's control mechanisms?  Not just with hunger, but with all things.  It seems to me that we often get so busy and stressed that we completely ignore these subtle cues.  

Goal of the day: listen to your body.

Class dismissed! Have a good day!

dinna dinna...

Ok super short dinner post here.  Finals week is approaching and study crunch time needs to begin.

So, I had a small bowl of greek yogurt and Kashi cereal today before my psychology review session.

Dinner was a grilled chicken sandwich, a cup of soup, and an apple from Market.  And an unpictured handful of cocoa puffs for dessert :)

I also had a granola bar sometime today between classes.  I've lost track of the hours...  Ok, off to study! Night everyone!

Oh and on a last side note, I was pelted by icy rain on the walk home (3 miles uphill both ways...) from my study session... thank you winter... you lure us in with promises of hot chocolate and snowmen and then pelt us with icy rain. I'm done with you already.

Gray vs. Grey

Today has been quite a gray day in Pittsburgh.  Does anyone know the difference between "gray" and "grey"?  It's always boggled my mind...  I should probably figure it out since I live in one of the gray/grey-est cities in the U.S.

Lunch was a salad (grilled chicken and portobello mushroom) from a salad bar on campus and a yogurt.  I know some people have shifted away from these yogurts, because they contain high fructose corn syrup.  I'm all for organic/all-natural eating.  However, being a college-student, it isn't always easy to eat perfectly.  So, I figure, as long as I'm trying to eat as healthy as I can, a little high fructose corn syrup won't kill me.  Everything in moderation. 

And the 6th advent calender chocolate for dessert (I'm a bit behind...)

P.S. happy National Cotton Candy Day!  

22 degrees?!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is officially winter.  Well, not officially.  But it's collllllldddd! Snow+cold=my declaration of winter.

There's kind of an unspoken rule in Pittsburgh; you don't check the temperature.  Knowing how low that number is makes the cold feel much worse.  Well, I broke that rule this morning and was shocked to see 22 degrees.  Goodbye Fall, hello winter.  It's time to pull out the parkas and gloves. Unfortunately, I have a formal to go to on Friday and will be scantily clad in a dress with bare legs...the things we do for beauty...

My original breakfast plan had been yogurt and cereal, but the brisk 15 minute walk to the gym and back promptly changed my mind to warm, toasty, oatmeal (again...)

Same mixture as before: 1/2 c. oats, vanilla, 1/4 c. egg whites added at end. Toppings: banana and greek yogurt.  Con agua y cafe!

That's it for this morning.  Have a good Monday!

You win some, you lose... a lot...

Well, this weekend in sports was dismal for the city of champions.  Despite the loss, the game was still a GREAT time.  We lucked out with weather and had the sun to keep us warm until the 4th quarter.  Steelers fans are 100% business.  Quote of the day: "this is FOOTBALL boys, it ain't tennis!!!"  Ah, yes, spoken like a true fan. 

As expected, lunch was a Primanti sandwich.  For those of you who aren't familiar, a Primanti sandwich is a Pittsburgh classic.  It's thick, fresh, italian bread, choice of meat, cheese, tomatoes, and here comes the kicker... fries and coleslaw ON the sandwich. Epic. Amazing. Pittsburgh.  

I had capicola and cheese, with all the toppings (but really, the toppings aren't optional at Primantis).  I also snacked on a granola bar and some peanuts, for the record. 

I had some baby carrots and hot chocolate when we got back to warm me up.  I'm not sure about dinner yet.  Probably some soup and salad.  My veggie intake today has been subpar (unless you count the fries and coleslaw on my sandwich?)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Gameday X 2!

Good morning!

I guess I didn't quite get my football fill yesterday.  Today I'm going to the Steelers game to squeeze some more football into my weekend.  My wonderful roommate was nice enough to invite me to join her and her family at the game today.  She has fantastic seats, apparently surrounded by some die-hard Steelers fans.  But then again, what Steelers fan isn't a die-hard? Recap and photos will surely be provided tonight!  I have a feeling it might (aka definitely) include a trip to Primanti Bros....  

I started my morning bright and early with a trip to the gym.  I had a great workout, with the whole gym to myself.  One of the perks of being a morning person in college!

I came back, showered and breakfast ready.  Sorry to be boring, but the exact same breakfast as yesterday.

1/2 c oats, vanilla, 1/4 egg whites added at end, topped with banana and greek yogurt.  Breakfast of champions (in the city of champions)

Speaking of bright and early gym trips, people often ask me how I manage to get to the gym so early every morning.  To me, I've been doing it so long that it's become second nature.  I thought I'd list my top three motivations for going to the gym first thing in the morning:

1. The gym is basically empty (at least in college world) in the morning.  I don't know about you, but nothing kills my motivation more than waiting in line for an elliptical.  Getting to the gym early eliminates this issue.  It's also much more pleasant to be in a calm, quiet gym.  

2.  It keeps me from cutting exercise out of my day.  Getting to the gym before the world wakes up keeps me from talking myself out of going.  No matter what day it is or how free my day seems, by 10 am, I'm always swamped with things I need to accomplish by the end of the day.  It's entirely too easy to let exercise slip to the back-burner when this stress surfaces.  Taking an hour in the morning to exercise has become my "me" time.  And doing it early never makes me feel guilty because I'm not skipping something else.  Reward yourself and read a trashy magazine, or catch up on TV time.

3. Shower time!  I know it seems insignificant, but for me, having to take more than one shower a day is enough to make me talk myself out of going to the gym.  If I go to the gym before I start my day, I can take one shower afterwards, and be ready for the rest of the day!  Your hair, and the environment, will thank you!

So, there you have it.  Give am exercise a chance.  Maybe you'll hate it, but you might find out you're a morning person too!

Have a good Sunday! Go Steelers!

You win some, you lose some...

Hey guys!

So unfortunately, we lost the game. But it was a fantastic game, and fun was definitely had by all. It's sad to say goodbye to football season, but basketball season is already gearing up. So there will be no shortage of sports around here!

In other news, today we had our first snow! It seemed very fitting to be bundled up in December, watching a football game while snow dusted the field. My roommates and I celebrated the snow, and cheered ourselves up from the loss, by making gingerbread houses. We listened to all the Christmas classics while decorating away. The perfectionist in me took 3 full hours to make a wonderfully elaborate gingerbread house.  Ever since I can remember, I was always the last kid still working on their gingerbread house, making sure EVERY little detail is just right.  And this year was no different.  Plus there was no slobbery golden retriever to eat my masterpiece either. 

Note the Christmas tree in the yard... and shrubbery...

Today's eats were a little all over the place because of the game.  I managed to grab a  quick lunch afterwards at Market (our cafeteria).

Grilled chicken sandwich with a side of italian wedding soup.  Apple on the side, and a handful of cereal for dessert :)

 

Dinner was quick and easy.  My roommates and I decided to stay in, watch a movie, and pick up Chinese food.  

For me, a bowl of hot and sour soup, and a huge order of steamed veggies.

And the 5th advent chocolate for dessert :)

Have a great Saturday night!

Game Day!

"Ok campers, rise and shine and don't forget your booties because it's cold out there" -Groundhog Day

Good morning all!

Woke up bright and early for game-day tailgating!  Nothing like standing in the Pittsburgh cold for hours screaming at a field.  Pittsburgh's favorite past time :)

So, I'm bundled up in about 27 layers... let's hope it works.

Breakfast this morning was oatmeal, as usual!

Into the mix: 1/2 c oats, vanilla, 1/4 c egg whites added at the end.  

Toppings: 1 LARGE banana, 1/2 c. greek yogurt

Great way to start this Saturday. 

Have a great day!!

First Post!

Good evening blog world!  

I've toyed with the idea of starting a blog for about a year.  I've weighed the pros and the cons (I'm a list maker...).  And tonight, I finally decided, why not?  There's nothing to lose!

So, here I am!  I intend to use this blog to show you my lifestyle; what I eat, where I go, and the mile-a-minute thoughts that race through my mind.  Maybe if I'm lucky, a few people might be interested enough to want to read along!

I'm not a dietitian (hopefully I will be in the future!), doctor, or professional of any kind.  I'm just a student who has some tips and fun stories to share.  So please, keep this in mind.  

That being said, I hope you all enjoy my blog! Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Thanks for stopping by!